Endangered Lives
by Cara Tala
Summary: A young girl with no real memory of her past finds herself in the midst of a horrid war. Haunted by nightmarish memories in sleep. She struggles to remember who she is what happened to her, she finds out that she's more important then anyone thought.
1. Endangered Lives Prologue

--Prologue--  
  
Thunder-roared and lightning filled the sky as she ran through the forest as fast as she could. Her paws becoming more sore and swollen with every leap and step. Rain poured down and made the ground muddy and squishy, making it possible for those who were following her to track her even more easily. Lightning lit the sky again and she finally saw the edge of the forest. She knew her enemies were close behind her but she didn't dare look back. Her body was sore and she felt like she was fading fast. She had lost so much blood already from the cuts, gashes, and other open wounds, along with the spells the evil ones had used on her. 'I've got to get away. I've got to find somewhere to hide.' She thought to herself as she ran. Her large amber eyes scanned the area and she knew that some of the most darkest creatures in all of the magical world were on her tail. Up ahead, a light shined through the window of a small hut near a clearing. 'Oh god, please let me make it there.' Her body was wearing out, starting to give up. Her lungs labored for breath and her heart beat at too-fast a pace. She thought that her heart might burst from all the strain she was putting on it. "You shall not escape, young one. You will either join me or die." The voice of pure evil sounded from behind her. She didn't want to look for fear that when she looked, he would be there and kill her.  
  
'Almost there, just a little bit farther.' She was pushing herself as hard as she could when suddenly her paw caught something and she tumbled to the ground. She rolled in a ball and slammed into the door head first. When she hit, she let out a scream that was somewhere between that of an animal and a human. She felt herself start to change as darkness surrounded her and encompased her in its cold embrace. The door to the hut opened and she saw the figure of a young boy, probably around her age, standing there with a look of utter shock on his face. "Hagrid, Hagrid! Come quick!" His voice was urgent and filled with deep concern. "What is it Harry?" Another figure, much larger in size, filled the door way as a loud clap of thunder boomed through the air. "What the devil?" The larger figure bent down after the smaller one had gone over to her side and brushed some hair out of her face. "Hagrid, we've got to get her to the hospital wing and Madame Pomfrey." She looked up at him through half-closed eyes and felt a sense of safety there. She felt a sense of warmth and as the boy got closer, she could just barely make out a lightning shaped scar on his forehead.He looked up to the giant man then put his hand on his scar for a moment. "Hagrid, my scar is burning." Then, he quickly turned back to her and gently brushed some more hair from her face. "Don't worry, you're safe now. We aren't going to hurt you." His voice was soft and gentle, and calmed her enough that she gave up the fight against the darkness and went into its black embrace. The last thing she felt was two strong arms picking her up and being rushed in a direction with the cold rain stinging her skin and wind making her cold. Before she completely sucombed to the vast nothingness, she heard him once again in her mind. 'You may be safe for now, but I will return for you.' She saw a pair of glowing red eyes staring at her malevolently then quickly passed out. 


	2. Chapter One Mystery

The darkness gave way to vivid images of pain and suffering. A dark man with evil red eyes pointed his wand at her and continued to torment her. "Crucio" He kept saying after asking her a question and not getting the answer he wanted. "Why don't you just join me, little one? It will make the pain stop much sooner." She sat up as best she could, wiping the blood from her mouth. Her arms were shackled to a dungeon wall and her body was cut deeply in several spots. Her cloths were torn and just barely clung to her sagging figure. "Never." She spat out. "I shall NEVER join you, you bastard. After what you've done and who you are, I will never ever join the dark side." Her eyes flashed at him, daring him to physically touch her. But she knew he wouldn't. He was to afraid of her. Of her power and un-tapped abilities. "Have it your way then. Crucio." She cried out in pain once more as unbearable torrents of hideous pain swept through her body. Falling to the floor, the dark lord walked over to her cautiously. "Why do you insist on doing things the hard way, my pet? You know that I always get what I want in the end." He lifted up her chin with his boney fingers and she bit at him, her teeth becoming sharp and pointed. He pulled his hand back just in time. "Now, just for that, you will go without dinner for a week." Before he walked away, he kicked her hard in the stomach and she crumbled to the floor. "I will be back later." With that he walked out the door, slamming it shut and placing the bolts back in place. Darkness then consumed her once again as the pain started to subside and her body became ever more weak.  
  
"Professor, Professor! I think she's waking up!" The first thing she heard again was the voice of a boy. It sounded vaugely familiar to her and she tried to move her arm but howled in pain. "Don't try to move, miss. Your right arm is broken, along with your left wrist and leg." The voice of the boy said. She opened her eyes a bit and saw sunlight streaming into the large room where she was. Slowly looking around, she saw a white curtain pulled half-way around the bed she was on, and also several people talking a few feet away. Then, her eyes rested on a boy, the boy she had seen the night before. The only real memory she had, next to her own name and age. "Wh..where am I? Who are you?" Her voice was raspy and soft, it didn't down a bit like it belonged to her.  
  
"You are currently at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, miss. And I am Professor Albus Dumbledor." A greying old man with a long white beard came over to her, as the young boy she had been talking to stepped down to the end of her bed. The old man, now known as Dumbledor, sat down in a chair that had been put next to her bed. "What happened?" She asked, letting her eyes adjust to the new light and now seeing that the group of older people who were talking were now standing around her bed. "I am afraid that I do not know the whole story. But, from what I hear, Mr. Potter here," He gestured toward's the young boy with the dark-hair and glasses. "Was visiting our gameskeeper Hagrid when you suddenly slammed into Hagrid's front door. That was when our young Mr. Potter opened the door and found you nearly lifeless and covered in many deep and serious wounds and lacerations. He said that soon after he and Hagrid discovered you, that you passed out. Harry and Hagrid brought you here and we have been taking care of you ever since." He spoke softly and slowly, and she looked into his eyes and felt that she was very safe and that she could trust him.  
  
"How long have I been here?" She asked, very curious since he sounded like she had been asleep for a while. "Almost five days. But I must say that you do look much better then when you first arrived. Before I forget, what is your name child?" Dumbledore was very nice and she felt that he was like her grandfather or something. She saw no trouble in telling him her name. "My name is Aura. Aura Balthazar. I'm 16, at least I'm pretty sure I am." Aura's voice was starting to come back to her, and she was glad for that. She had always counted on her voice to make her sound tough and brave. "You took a rather hard hit to the head, and seeing as how you look somewhat confused, I suspect that you cannot remember much, correct?" He asked, his eyes twinkling with kindness. Aura felt that he truly wanted to help her. She nodded. "Yah, I can only remember running from something in the forest. Something evil. It's been chasing me and after me for a while...I don't remember who or why, but I remember sinister red-eyes. Then I remember that I...tripped or something as I was running and I... rolled into the door and hit my head and then meeting Harry and Hagrid before passing out." Aura looked away, as if trying to see back into before she was running, back into that nightmare she was having that had started to fade away.  
  
When she looked up, everyone who was around her had a look of pure shock and horror on their faces. Especially Harry. "What? Did I say something wrong?" Harry shook himself out of his self-imposed train of thought and looked up at Dumbledor worriedly. "Professor, when I found her, my scar had started to burn. I think I know who was after her." He said, with more then just a hint of worry and fear in his voice. "As do I Harry, as do I. This is very interesting news. I had only thought he was after one person, but now it appears that he is after two." Dumbledor spoke softly and looked at the other adults around Aura's bed, as if communicating with them on some other level. The other's nodded and they all walked out, talking in hushed voices. Two of them stayed behind. One was a woman in a nurse-type outfit and the other was a man who had reddish hair and a strange looking moustache. "What all is going on Professor?" Harry asked, now looking a bit braver but Aura could still tell he was afraid and a bit angry by the way he clenched his fists at his sides. "I believe that I will tell you both that after I have discussed it with the other teachers and members of The Order. But for now, I believe Miss Balthazar could use some more rest so, Harry, I suggest you say your goodbyes and return to your common room. You may visit Aura later, but for now she must rest." Dumbledor turned back to Aura and patted her hand gently. "I will return later, but in the meantime it would be best if you got some rest." With that, he left, followed by the other two adults.  
  
Harry sighed and walked over to her side and sat down. "Im sorry we had to meet like this, Aura. I would have liked it to be under better circumstances." Aura looked up at him and was caught in his emerald-green eyes. She felt as if she had seen those eyes before, but not from the night he and Hagrid saved her. She laughed softly then moaned in pain as her stomach and chest began to hurt. "Me too. Maybe later you can come by and tell me about this place some." Harry smiled and took her hand. She didn't know if he felt it or not but a surge of energy pulsed through her and she felt a sense of deep comradery and rightness in his company. Little did she know that Harry felt the same thing, like he had known her all his life yet he had only just met her. "Sure, no problem. I'll come back down around dinner and eat with you if you're awake and up to it." She smiled back. It felt good to smile. For some reason, it felt like she hadn't smiled in a very long time. "All right then. I'll talk to you later, sleep well and sweet dreams." He said as he got up, just as he reached the end of the bed he stopped and remembered something. "Oh, and the lady who was just in here and left with Dumbledor is Madame Pomfrey, she's sort of the doctor/nurse here. If you need anything, just ask her." With that, he smiled and headed off towards the big set of doors that she assumed led out of the large wing. Aura sighed and lay back, trying to get as comfortable as possible without much pain. After she was comfy, she began thinking about all that had just happened then decided that she better get some sleep and think about it later, considering that her head had started to hurt as soon as she tried to really remember what had happened before she met Harry and the rest. Ending her troublesome thoughts, she slowly fell asleep, finally feeling safe for the first time in a very long time. 


	3. Chapter 2 Bad Dreams

Her sleep was filled with flashes of red eyes and a dark dungeon. Images of a crooked man with glowing, evil-red eyes casting painful and excrutiating spells on her. The image of a tall man with bleach blonde hair standing over her with sinister eyes and an evil smirk. She knew what he was going to do, the same thing he did weekly, if not every-other day. She knew the only person who could save her was herself. Aura started crying again, she couldn't help it. It was all she could do after so long. The blonde man laughed cruelly and bent down brushing hair from her tear, sweat, and blood soaked face. "Don't worry, dear. I'll be gentle this time." The cruel laughter was there again as he stood back up and put a blindfold around Aura's eyes. She was crying almost hysterically, and she tried to force herself to stop, to stop showing that she was scared and in pain. When she felt his naked skin brush up against her's, she kicked him in the groin and heard him howl in pain. "Why you little..." He said, then the next thing Aura knew, was darkness and pain overcame her again as he hit her hard.  
  
"Aura, Aura wake up." A soft, gentle voice came to her from the darkness. It was familiar and sounded a little frantic. She felt someone's hands on her upper arm, gently shaking her and trying to wake her up. She also felt warm, fresh tears falling down her face. "Aura come on, wake up." The voice said again, causing her to open her eyes and moan in slight pain. As she opened her eyes, more tears ran free as she looked up at Harry. "Thank god. I thought you weren't going to wake up for a bit there." Harry sounded genuinely concerned and worried as he sat back down next to her on the bed. "Wh...What happened?" She asked, her voice full of un-shed tears. Harry grabbed a tissue and wiped her face for her. "I think you were having a nightmare. And by the looks of it, a really bad one too. I can ask Madame Pomfrey for some Dreamless Sleep Potion so you can sleep better, if you want."  
  
"Thanks." She said, regaining some of her voice and composure. "Would you like to sit up? I imagine it can't be that great to be laying down that long, huh?" He asked with a soft laugh. Aura nodded and let him help her to sit up in the bed. Immediately after sitting up and sucking in a sharp breath because of the pain, she smelled something that tickled her nose and made her stomach growl. "I guess I could use some food too..." She said, with a blush and small smile. Harry laughed and brought over a tray of hot, sweet smelling food and set it over her lap. "That looks REALLY good." She said as she eyed the steaming mashed potatoes, hot fried chicken, buttered rolls, macaroni and cheese, and apple juice. At the sight of all this wonderful food, her stomach growled even louder. "I'm glad I brought plenty of food. It sounds like you haven't eaten in days." Harry joked. Aura blushed and nodded. "Actually, I don't think I've had anything to eat for about two weeks or so." She grabbed a fork with her good hand and started eating. Luckily it was only her arm that was broken and not her wrist or hand. The food tasted so good and it definetly felt as if she hadn't eaten for weeks. Harry watched her with wide eyes as he started to eat his dinner. "Wow, you weren't kidding. But you might want to slow down because you might get sick if you keep eating that fast."  
  
Aura just then noticed that she was gulping down the food and barely chewing it up at all. She blushed a bright red and started to slow herself down. "Thanks. Um...I was wondering ...how you knew I was having a nightmare." Aura averted her gaze and played with her food a bit. "Well firstly you were crying in your sleep and that is a main sign of a nightmare. Another thing that clued me in was that you were saying some pretty intense things in your sleep also. It sounded like you were fighting with someone. Plus, I've had enough nightmares to know what it looks like when someone else is having one." Harry explained as best he could without going into to much detail. Aura sighed and ate a bit more. "Well, thanks for waking me up. I definetly didn't like that dream one bit."  
  
"Would you like to tell me about it? It might make you feel better." He offered, while taking a bite of his food. She thought about it for a moment. 'Should I tell him? ...It might help but I don't know. I don't know him that well yet, but...it feels as if I can trust him and confide in him. Him and that Dumbledor fella. He might be right, it might make me feel better to get it off my chest. Harry might even be able to shed some light on it and the one I had earlier.' So, deciding that it would probably be best to tell him, she sighed and looked up at him. He was looking at her like he really cared, and it suddenly felt as if she hadn't felt as if someone cared about what happened to her or what she thought or saw in a very long time. Aura smiled at the genuine feeling of caring that was coming from Harry and decided to start. "Well, I can't remember to much of the dream or nightmare I was having before I first woke up but...here it goes.." 


	4. Chapter 3 Unwanted Memories

"The first dream or memory or whatever it was, had the ..red eyed man in it. I was...chained to a wall in a dungeon type place. It was dark and cold. I was shackled and bleeding. There were cuts and bruises and wounds all over me. My cloths were shredded and barely covering me up." Aura began. She looked away and creased her forehead in thought. The thought of that image immediately led to the one of the tall blonde man in her most recent dream. Harry took her hand in his, letting her know that he was there for her. She took a deep breath and decided to continue. "Well, the man kept saying something like he wanted me to join him. He was asking me why I would rather suffer then join him. He kept saying something like...cruisio or something like that. Then this green light came out of a..I think it was a wand, and struck me. It hurt so bad. It felt like I might have died but I didn't let him see that I was in pain." When she said what the man had said to her, he immediately knew what the man had done. "Crucio...it's one of the unforgivable curses." Harry clenched his fists tightly and looked away. 'That bastard. He'll pay for what he's done. Not only to her but to me. I may not know all that he's done to her but he will definetly pay for everything bad he has ever done.' He thought to himself. Aura had stopped and noticed what he had said. "Yeah, that's it. I got the feeling that he had been using that on me a lot. It also felt as if I had been in that dungeon for weeks. Maybe even months. I think that I had lost all sense of time, save for day and night. But he kept using that...curse on me. I believe he had been coming in every day or so, trying to get me to join him. But I wouldn't, and I still won't, even if he comes back. Somehow I know he's coming after me. But finally, I passed out from the pain after he left." Aura cringed at the memory of the extreme pain that still ebbed lightly in her muscles. Harry looked up at her and saw a tear fall down her face. He reached up and wiped it away then put his hand on her shoulder supportively. "You don't have to tell me anymore if you don't want to. It's alright." She smiled up at him and nodded. "It's ok. I...I need to get this out so that maybe I can make some sense of it."  
  
She sighed and moved slightly in her bed to get comfortable again. The next part was the one she dreaded the most. "In the nightmare I just had. I woke up in that same dungeon when the door unlocked and opened. A tall man came in. He had bleach-blonde hair and cold...depths of space-cold eyes. He had no heart. No real soul that I could sense. He was driven by evil and the need for power." Aura gulped visibly, and gently held on tighter to Harry's hand. "He came down the stairs and...I knew what was coming. He had done it many times before and was also one of the reasons I had so many wounds. That man was also the main reason as to why my cloths were torn and barely covered me. He...he did things to me that I'd rather not say. He did them countless times while I was a prisoner there. I was crying because I knew what he was going to do and I couldn't stop him. But as he was coming up against me, I hit him and he said something then hit me and knocked me out. Then I heard you calling to me and then I woke up. I know that they were memories, I just wish that I hadn't remembered that last one." She shivered and silently cried. Aura could feel the rage building in Harry. She could tell he was thuroughly pissed off at the man. Also, something told her that Harry knew who this man was.  
  
"Malfoy.." Harry said quietly through clenched teeth. Aura looked up at him and nodded. "That's him. That was his name. Harry...do you know who that man with the red eyes is? I heard myself thinking that he was called the Dark Lord and he was pure evil. But I can't remember his name." She looked up at him, eyes large and full of confusion and fear. She wanted to know what was going on, and she wanted to know who had done this to her. He nodded. "His name is Lord Voldemort. I have a history with him myself. I'll tell you about it later. But he is a VERY evil and wicked man. I know that from personal experience and first hand knowledge." His green eyes seemed to spark with a hot and intense fire. She knew that this Voldemort had done something terrible to Harry, just has he had done to her. Aura wiped away her tears and put her hand on Harry's, letting him know that she was there for him too. It was the least she could do after all he had already done for her. He looked up and smiled, taking a deep breath and holding her hand gently. "Thanks."  
  
"If you don't mind telling me Harry, how was I when you found me? Like, what condition was I in?" He thought for a moment then sighed. "Well, to tell you the truth you looked down-right frightening at first. I thought you were some sort of monster." Aura laughed softly and it felt good to do so. Harry laughed to,a little bit nervously though. "Well you were covered in blood and mud, and ....." He looked away and blushed. "You weren't wearing anything, to tell you the truth. You were stark naked. You were shivering and bleeding from your head and other large gaping wounds all over. Hagrid grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around you then picked you up after you had passed out and we brought you here. I thought for a bit that you weren't going to make it. Do you know how you got out there? In the forest and to Hagrid's hut I mean?"  
  
Aura thought for a moment then shook her head. "No, sorry. I remember running through the forest and trying to get away from that Voldemort guy. He was chasing me and..then I think I tripped as I was running and ...I was headed for that hut but when I fell, I must have started rolling and slammed right into the door." Something then remembered something and her eyes went wide. "Voldemort was in my mind just before I passed out. He said something like, 'I will have you in the end or else you will die.'" She looked up at Harry with fear in her eyes. "I..I..I don't want to die, Harry. I don't." Aura looked at him with such fear and vulnerability it broke his heart. She started to cry a bit so he carefully maneuvered her so that he could sit behind her and hold her while she cried. "It'll be okay Aura. I promise. We won't let him get you or hurt you, I swear." Harry held her close to him, his arms wrapped around her gently as she sobbed into his shoulder. His hand soothingly stroked her head and back, trying to help her calm down. "Don't worry Aura. I won't let him get you. I swear it on my life." He whispered to her softly, a promise to her and to himself. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep on him, after letting out all her tears. Soon after, Harry followed, his arms still holding her to him protectively. 


End file.
